Download PDF“She was gone for a year from her family. They even suspected that her husband had killed her because she complained multiple times about being abused, but they advised her to go back. She also comes from a well-off family.”
Young people who marry at a young age usually face more challenges in their marriages, and in some cases, they do not last for many years. In most cases, girls get married due to religious reasons, while others do so because of money or difficult circumstances.
This often deprives young women of opportunities to do better in life or become a better version of themselves. Patriarchy also plays a role because the younger wife is usually dependent on the man for everything, and even her freedom is easily limited by the situation. This makes the woman feel inferior in the relationship.
This can also bring emotional and physical harm, further entrenching patriarchy. Some young newlywed women are also robbed of their childhood and opportunities for education. This prevents them from learning and understanding how to read and write, as well as how to defend themselves in an academic environment and the world of work.
Young women should feel free and appreciated and be understood for what they want in life. They should be free to pursue the life that they want to create for themselves.
Women face challenges, with members of society and even their own relatives. Family members may lack information and critical analysis about what affects women. This is often because they just follow traditions and do not know the damage or consequences.
Marrying early can also contribute to unhappiness and emotional distress, especially when one does not love her partner or is forced to be with him through circumstances or a political marriage. This can also lead to violence if girls are abused by their partners and feel that they are not heard or that the justice system has failed to help them. We do not often hear the cries of young married girls because they may be taught to believe that they must be submissive and will live a happy life.
Kamilaah Swarts, 23, says that she knows of a close friend who was abused in a forced marriage, and the only way she saved herself was to run away. She was gone for a year from her family. They even suspected that her husband had killed her because she complained multiple times about being abused, but they advised her to go back. She also comes from a well-off family.
A mother from South Hills, Faith Oliphant, says that she feels ashamed as a woman that some mothers will let their daughters suffer because they want to benefit from them or sometimes just get rid of the children because they feel they are ‘burdens’. In some cases, some parents feel that they have to do this because of culture, and sometimes they see it as the only way to get a young girl out of poverty.
Tony Handricks says that she only dates older men because of her situation at home and that she feels that by doing so, she will help herself get out of her situation. “I know that it is wrong, but if I had a choice, I would have changed and done the right thing. People do judge me, but I feel like that is my way of survival.”
This article is an opinion piece submitted on 21 August 2026. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of Karibu! Online or Khanya College. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
